SEVEN: Invitation

THE NEXT MORNING Abigail cornered her at school to know why she was at the coffee shop. "I just needed to change sceneries." She tried to say it in the most convincing ways.

However, Abigail had squinted her eyes with an unconvinced look at them. "So, it has nothing to do with the Amarok dude?"

Cornelia could feel herself blushing, she shook her head. "Of course not!" She denied way too quickly.

...

They conversation died at that, and Cornelia managed to get through the week. The thought of him was always on her mind, and she tried to ask Jerry about him as subtly as she could. However, she never got much put of him.

The weekend arrived, and Cornelia couldn't be happier. When she woke up with Lucien Amarok as her first thought, she wasn't really surprised. Her dreams became more frequent. However, the man of her dreams was no longer faceless.

Lucien had become the primary star of all her hot dreams. And again, it was no longer just a man pleasing her body, it felt like much more than that. Because I'm her dreams, Lucien worshipped her body, treasured her, and she had the feeling that he even loved her.

Abigail had caught her lost in thought a couple of times. And Cornelia always tried to brush it off. However, yesterday Abigail said something during lunch break, something that unsettled Cornelia greatly.

"If I didn't know you well, I'd say you're in love or something."

Abigail's words were meant as a joke, but that wasn't how Cornelia took them. I can't be in love with him. It's impossible, I barely know him. She kept telling herself, but the idea didn't leave her mind.

Therefore, at the moment, she was sitting on her desk, trying to finish her history report, and trying was the right word, because she had been staring at the blank page on her laptop screen for the past fifteen minutes. Not a single word was written.

There's love at first sight. She decided to herself, wondering if that was what happened with Lucien. Cornelia had watched many movies, and even read more stories where love just happened for no reason. One look was all it took.

As much as she had enjoyed them, she knew they couldn't be real, it was one of the reasons why she never had a boyfriend.

"Relationships are built when there's a mental connection, love is great, but it can fade away. Mental connection leads to a spiritual bond, and that's what stays for forever."

She remembered Julia's words, her mother, all those years ago, back when she was still alive. The thought of her mother would always cause a pang of pain in her chest. It was an ache that Cornelia had buried so deep within herself, she hoped if she buried it deep enough that it would disappear.

She let out a sigh, her thoughts were leading her nowhere. She shook her head and at that moment she heard the doorbell. She knew Jerry was downstairs, but she was curious as to who it might be that decided to pay them a visit on a Friday night.

It can't be Lucien, right? A small hopeful part of herself thought, but she denied the idea immediately.

When she went downstairs, she found her dad standing in front of the door with an envelope in hand. "Who was it?" She asked as she approached him.

He turned to her with furrowed eyebrows, "Someone who works for Lucien left this. He's inviting us to a ball he's holding tomorrow night."

"A ball?" She asked, equally confused.

Jerry nodded his head, "Yeah." He then began to read the invitation. "It's our great pleasure to invite The Cooper family to The Amarok Mansion for a fine ball."

"They changed the name of the mansion too?"

Jerry nodded once more, "Yeah, it was expected."

"They're really rich, aren't they?"

"More than you can imagine." Jerry let out a sigh, "I think it's Lucien's way to introduce himself and his family to the town."

They headed to the living room, "I think they will soon rival the Stanford family." Cornelia commented while sitting down.

The only other mansion, and very wealthy family, in Formid Root was the Stanford family, the mayor's family too. They were the ones who held all the balls and parties, not that there were many of them. But they tended to go all out.

Cornelia remembered attending their son's birthday, Joshua, who was also in her year at school, and it wasn't a normal celebration. She was awed by the luxurious mansion, the preparations, everything.

"So, are we going?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Jerry nodded, "We have to."

He left it at that, but Cornelia knew her father well enough. He believed that he should be present when such an event was held. "If you're the best one in a room, then you're in the wrong room." He would always tell her that.

"Well then, I guess I should go shopping tomorrow morning." She told him and he nodded once more.

She could tell that Jerry was thinking about something, but she didn't care enough to ask or ponder what it was. Her mind was consumed with what she wanted to look like tomorrow. She wanted to impress Lucien, to make him regret shutting her out the way he did.

I have to look perfect. She thought and a new determination was lit up in her soul. She would find a chance during the ball to speak to him again.